4Gs (Gray, Gloomy, Gusty & Girls)

I was wondering if I’d get my walk in at all today after we had another shift in the weather.  The sun has been fighting with the cold fronts passing through for a couple days now.  The one thing that is really awesome is the way the lighting is right now…I’m not an expert mind you but I like how it looks.  No matter what…I will always love this view!  I mentioned the colors of the day but now to see why girls were a part of the blog title today.  A friend of ours had twins and we got to visit them today!  The twins were born naturally and have done well all in all.  This is the larger of the two…she was sleeping quite soundly!  She hardly fit in her cute little outfit!  Gabby wanted to know when they could play!  Just look at the wonderful little hats that one of the nurses at the hospital makes!  Here they are together!  They say two heads are better than one!  Mike got to hold one of them…Gabby thinks it’s a pretty serious matter!  It was time to head home again and let the family enjoy their new addition…and the scenery outside was calling to me again.  The wind was really frigid but the clouds in the fronts passing by were really fun to see.  These cumulonimbus clouds are another reminder of spring’s approach.  Reaching the halfway point of my walk I really liked the break in the clouds with this sign in the foreground…seems like it’s saying:  we’re heading towards a breakthrough!  The fronts were rolling in and out over the plains all the way as I returned home.  The sun continued its brave battle with the gloom.  It seemed that it exhausted its heat with this fight but still shown so very brightly that it encouraged me.  Here is the my final and best view of the prairie before reaching home…it is always a glorious sight!  I pray that this blog finds you blessed, thanks for visiting!

41 Years and Counting…

There are times when a birthday can creep up on a person so quickly that it seems like it’s come and gone before you know it.  This one for me was kind of like that.  The good news was that not only was my birthday very nice but Valentine’s Day was very nice too!  Lovely and I like to go out before or after the day so it’s more of a thing between us and that’s worked out very well, this was no exception.  Lincoln and I share the same birthday so I guess I won’t be forgetting it soon.  For all that helped make it a great day with well wishes, prayers and otherwise:  thank you so very much!

The kids have been burning their way through their school books and Sal has been doing his best to help this process.  You might say he’s a salamander and a tutor!  I went out again today to get a few photos and couldn’t help but look with some longing at the pots just waiting for some flowers to be planted in them when spring finally makes itself known again.  The sky is at least partially sunny today but I don’t think it will last.  The wind is quite bitter today and I think this helps the whole weathering process that creates scenes like this one.  The flowers from last season still stand though in a considerably withered form.  Everything is waiting for spring but the wait won’t last forever.  We went to examine the pond this morning and I see that it’s still frozen so it’s doubtful if other salamanders will be out just yet though it’s nearing their breeding season.  It won’t be long and this landscape will be entirely different with green being the predominant color rather than brown.  This is the area where I usually find food for Sal when the warmer weather arrives again…no chance of that just yet.  Lovely has posted a bunch of wonderful pictures on Face Book for those that are interested.  This one I truly enjoy…me and the kids.  Good bye for now from us to you…even Sal says have a good one…don’t believe me?  Just look at this smile.

Lonely

Have you ever had a day that just seems lonely?  I didn’t really feel lonely until I went out and started taking some pictures.  The wind is bitter though it is somehow slowing thawing outside in spite of the chill but it makes it seem even more lonely.  Even the moon seems by itself in the sapphire sky that I love so much.  The light can look far warmer than it is.  Sometimes this can coax me to go out when I normally wouldn’t.  I surely love when the moon is bright and so visible even when it’s the middle of the day or early afternoon.  I glanced down at my lengthening shadow and even that seemed forlorn.  Ironically this path can look very similar if we have a hot dry summer but let me just tell you it was anything but hot with the chill winter wind whistling past my head today.  This decrepit fence still tries to guard the desolate field behind our house no matter the season.  Not even the ditch that will be full and flowing during the spring and summer has even a trickle of a flow right now so it is devoid of the water fowl that are so much fun to watch.  I moved to the front porch hoping to hear at least some wildlife or something but not one bird chirped nor one car or person stirred.  I long for the warmer times when we can go out and have a nice lemonade at our little coffee table but that time is not yet here.  The kids are upstairs eating lunch and Lovely is working at the moment…my only physical companion is Sal the salamander…and he seems to want a nap.  Maybe I should follow his example…

A Not so Great Escape

Our salamander made a not so great escape this week.  I think he must have received some ninja training in his life before we found him.  It’s surprising giving his rather profound coloring but let me say that when he doesn’t want to be found he can be very hard to find indeed!  We’ve all grown quite fond of his antics and little personality…not mention it looks like he’s always smiling.  He’s got life pretty good…missing the winter and being fed.  During the winter we get crickets from a local pet store and we feed them well too.  I often put them into a calcium and vitamin powder before feeding him so far he’s really thrived.  He now spends a lot of his time in his aquarium where he’s got a little log and some rocks he can hide in and…his very own pool!  The first picture there shows him thinking it’s past time he was fed again…this one shows him even leaving his pool to give me the ‘ol stare and smile routine to get another cricket!  Well, he has life good but he escaped and though we tore this house up one side and down another we couldn’t find him.  A couple days went by and I was beginning to think that we’d never see him again and then all of a sudden as quickly as he’d disappeared he showed up again!  We literally have no idea where he was but we are very glad to have him back.  We all get a huge kick out of him.

Our weather has taken somewhat of a downturn again with it being gloomy and cooler.  I smile at my own whining here since we’ve had far worse winters…last year in fact was just awful.  This year I really can’t complain.  The snow is now mostly goneand I can now walk without fear of ice that is almost completely gone from the streets and sidewalks.  Looking outside I could almost believe it was fall at this point.  I thought that the ice from the last storm would last until spring but it’s been too warm for that to be so now only a few snow islands remain.  For now Old Man Winter’s bench remains empty…and for that I’m very thankful indeed!